I spent a full day at the Northern Beaches photographing birds. I caught a B-line bus to Warriewood then walked down to the nearby wetlands and Irrawong Reserve. Then had lunch, walked down Muddy Creek to Pittwater Road, caught a bus to Long Reef and spent the afternoon there.
Warriewood Wetlands was reasonably quiet. Here are some birds –
Eastern Whipbird
Variegated Fairy-wren
Irrawong Reserve was also quiet. Here is an Eastern Yellow Robin –
And a Lewin’s Honeyeater –
Here is the waterfall –
I did not see very many birds along Muddy Creek. No Kingfishers or Bitterns. I did see this White-faced Heron –
Long Reef was a lot better. Near the lookout, I spotted a Nankeen Kestrel hunting for food.
I missed two perched Ospreys. But another bird watcher alerted me to them. There were both perched on the talus at different levels.
I watched to see if they would take off. One did.
It flew higher, and was then harassed by the Nankeen Kestrel.
The raptors left the area. I then went down to the rock platform. The tide was now low enough to walk out to the island. Many of the migratory birds have left to fly north. But I did see a Grey tailed Tattler, two Double-barred Plovers and four Red necked Stints. Here are some birds –
Pied Cormorant
Grey-tailed Tattler
Crested Tern
Sooty Oystercatcher
Great Cormorant
Double-barred Plover
Here are two Double-barred Plovers and two Red-necked Stints –
Here are some of the Red-necked Stints in flight –
Then one of the Ospreys flew past. Here it is with a para-glider.
I saw another Grey-tailed Tattler (or perhaps the same one again, but it was in different spot).
By now, two Ospreys were circling high above the headland. I walked back up to the lookout.
There, I met Jim, another bird photographer. We talked for a while, then we spotted the Nankeen Kestrel.
Soon after, one of the Ospreys flew past with a nice fish.
